FINALLY, after at least 8 hours of searching over 3 days time, I laid eyes on
the White-eyed Vireo at Lamar Community College Woods this morning. I saw it a
total of maybe two minutes around noon, then lost it in the blowing leaves and
never saw it again. The location was due east of the middle of the tennis
courts in a Russian-olive overtopped by a fairly tall cottonwood. The grass
east of the road and the Russian-olive thicket is mowed. At the point where
the bird was seen is a green metal post at the east edge of the mowed grass
with a dead branch leaning against it that I am assuming one of the early
finders of this bird (Brandon, Mark, Glenn or David Chartier) may have placed
there. If so, that means the bird has frequented this exact locale for three
days. Other birders searched and searched for this bird in vain all afternoon.
That is one tough bird to detect. While I watched it, it moved steadily,
siliently in short little jumps but the windblown leaves made it very difficult
to notice unless one just luckily laid eyes directly on it. The height range
during my short observations was maybe 10-20 feet, and it interchanged between
olive and cottonwood.
Also seen nearby at LCC was a Nashville Warbler, in tamarisk at the south end.
The Broad-winged Hawk, Northern Cardinals, Wood Ducks, Brown Thrashers, and
nesting Red-bellied Woodpecker are still present. All in all, however, I would
describe the woods as eerily quiet for this time of year.
A Red-bellied Woodpecker is nesting on the east side of Willow Creek Park in
Lamar near the stone house used as a shop by the City crews.
At Tempel Grove north of Lamar (Bent County) today was a continuing Northern
Parula, several Orange-crowned Warblers, lots of Spotted Towhees, a Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher, and a young male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (mostly eating Black
Locust flowers). The Harris's Sparrows and maybe the White-throated Sparrows
reported by Cole Wild's tour are probably there, too, but I did not check.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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